The United States will push ahead with a massive $20 billion arms sale to Israel that will supply the embattled country with dozens of fighter jets and a host of air-to-air missiles, tank ammunition and other weapons of war – as fears of a broader conflict in the Middle East continue to grow.
“The United States is committed to Israel’s security, and it is critical to U.S. national interests to help Israel develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,” the State Department said in a press release announcing the plan.
“The planned sale is consistent with these objectives.”
Unfortunately for Israel, the delivery of the weapons will not happen any time soon. It will likely take years to fulfill the contracts, and the country cannot expect new weapons systems until 2026 at the earliest.
Rather, this step is a long-term investment designed to help Israel secure itself and build its military capabilities well into the future.
The weapons to be sent abroad include 50 F-15 Eagle fighter jets, modern medium-range air-to-air missiles known as “AMRAAMs,” tactical vehicles and high-explosive mortars.
The cost of the F-15 and its equipment is nearly $19 billion, the tank shells are worth about $775 million, and the vehicles themselves cost about $583 million.
The F-15 will take years to produce, and it is not expected to reach the Middle East until 2029.
In a post on X, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant thanked American officials for their commitment to Israel – and for helping his country maintain “its qualitative military advantage in the region.”
“As we fight on seven different fronts in defense of Israel, your messages of support and commitment to Israel’s security are clear,” he wrote.
Previously, the Biden-Harris administration had stopped at least one arms shipment to Israel because of fears that it could be used in the Gaza Strip.
The government must reconcile its support for Israel with public outcry over the rising number of civilians killed in the Gaza Strip, which Israel occupied after Hamas’s surprise attack last October.
Since the war began, the United States has supplied Israel with over 10,000 extraordinarily destructive 2,000-pound bombs and thousands of Hellfire missiles.
But the government recently halted the delivery of 2,000-pound weapons because of Israeli air strikes on the densely populated civilian enclave.
With post wires
